Posted on 05/31/2019 8:06:13 AM PDT by BenLurkin
A fungus - genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin - can rapidly kill huge numbers of the mosquitoes that spread malaria, a study suggests.
Trials, which took place in Burkina Faso, showed mosquito populations collapsed by 99% within 45 days.
Conducting the study, researchers at the University of Maryland in the US - and the IRSS research institute in Burkina Faso - first identified a fungus called Metarhizium pingshaense, which naturally infects the Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria.
The next stage was to enhance the fungus.
They turned to a toxin found in the venom of a species of funnel-web spider in Australia.
The genetic instructions for making the toxin were added to the fungus's own genetic code so it would start making the toxin once it was inside a mosquito.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Isn’t there a comic book character based on genes from a spider getting mixed up with a human? Are we sure we want that in a fungus?
Wonder what the unintended consequences will be...?
What could go wrong?
Oh wait... I’ve seen this movie
The genetic instructions for making the toxin were added to the fungus’s own genetic code so it would start making the toxin once it was inside a mosquito.
If this toxin ONLY developed inside the gut of the mosquito, it theoretically would only hurt the mosquito. But that is a very big IF
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Indeed, I wonder how long it takes for the toxin to break down once inside an “’envenomed” mosquito. The Sydney Funnel Web is one of the top 4 most dangerous spiders to humans according to many toxicologists. If the toxin lingers, it could be ingested by any number of creatures. If I’m not mistaken the toxin is particularly deadly to primates (and thus humans).
Oh, Gus, the Gardener’s gone now
And you, went with him too
The fungus here
Reminds me of
The fun Gus is having with you
-Benny Hill (My Garden of Love)
We learned in the 1950’s that genetic mutations are easily dealt with using CO2 fire extinguishers.
99% on first pass
The 1% that are left will be the more resilient ones.
Run the next pass and take out even more of the mosquitos who were susceptible to it.
This fungus will not remain effective for long.
My spidey senses are tingling...
It’s worse than that. Mosquitoes pollenate cacao flowers. No chocolate.
As soon as the liberals find out this stuff is as good at saving the lives of African children as DDT, they will try to ban it, too. It’s a “GMO” don’t you know.
Their alleged purpose in banning DDT was to “save the birds.” But the scientific evidence of DDT harm to birds was exceedingly thin. Since it still had the side effect of letting malaria kill millions of African children, liberals were all for the ban.
GM fungus is what gives off that new car smell.
Or rust?
I heard it also causes chronic jock itch.
Well golly. Just wait until they splice a botulin or ricin synthesizing sequence into E. coli.
1% of surviving mosquitoes is a lot of mosquitoes with chutzpah and good genes for becoming supersquitoes.
Thanks BenLurkin. Apropos of nothing, I think I'll put in the DVD of "12 Monkeys".
BT works, btw.
BTI is the safest biological mosquito control.
http://www.mosquitoreviews.com/bacillus-thuringiensis-bti.html
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